Emma is one hot mess after her mother died leaving a pile of debt. She goes to the small town where her emotional support system is strong. There she finds her long time love has returned too. The emotional story of love, family, and those who love us stronger than family. A heart warming ending. A holiday story I enjoyed.

Getting married at Christmas
Christy McKee presents "The Christmas Bride", published by BooksGoSocial. Emma Kimball is nearly run down by "a behemoth of a black SUV" on her way to Mrs. Pennebeck in Vermont, who had been her mothers's dearest friend. This had been a tradition for her and her mother. She is struggling to keep traditions, her life is also difficult due to the medical bill debt from her mother, and she does not want to become like her overly controlling father. Jake Cutter was her friend when they were younger and is also back in her hometown. This is another challenge for Emma since he is also staying at Mrs. Pennebeck's bed-and breakfast. Will they be able to repair their relationship.
The story presents a great plot with some surprises. It is realistic and has likeable people. The story would have been great enough without the "bedroom scenes". This is the reason I give only four stars. I recommend the book to people who do not mind "bedroom scenes" and who love heart-warming stories that talk about second chances.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheChristmasBride #Netgalley

This is a great holiday book to put you in the spirit of the holidays. I loved the plot and characters. It was an endearing story and a sweet romance. I didn't want the book to end!

This was a delightful romance. I really enjoyed reading it. Emma Kimball, a New York City social worker, returns to the Cromwell Inn in Haley, Vermont, where she and her mother spent every Christmas for many years. Haley was where her mother grew up. While at the inn, she runs across Jake Cutter, an orthopedic surgeon, she used to date. Emma and Jake had a falling out nine years ago and had no contact with each other since that time. Jake has always loved Emma and vows to win her back and make her his wife. Will he succeed? Find out by reading this engrossing book. I highly recommend it to other romance readers. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

Thank you netgalley for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mourning the loss of her mother, Emma returns to inn in Vermont that became a Christmas tradition for her and her mother. While trying to run away from her financial problems rooted in medical bills, she tries to get her Christmas spirit back in the inn. She comes across Jack, her childhood sweetheart, and though she isn’t happy to see him in the beginning, her perception of him and their relationship soon changes. For the majority of the book, Emma believes Jack hadn’t changed (she believes he is still as controlling as he sued to be), while Jake makes it his mission to prove Emma that he has changed.

The description of the setting was quite cozy, and was very easy to imagine. I really felt like I was staying at the inn, with the descriptions of the decorations, the weather, and the food. There were a couple of grammar related issues but they did not bother me. The characters had several layers to them, even the side characters, which I loved. Every problem presented throughout the book became clear at the end, which made the book even more enjoyable. Even the classic mean-girl found her passion in the end, which was an unexpected surprise. I loved how the book also contained the found family trope in a literal way. Faith and Charlie’s relationship with Emma immediately warmed my heart. Emma and Jake were very real characters, and the issue in their relationship was understandable. I loved both characters and their relationship.

Overall, if you want a small town, cozy Christmas romance, and of course if you love animals, this is your book. I really enjoyed the book and it made me feel very warm and happy.

This part of the review will contain spoilers.

While reading, I often had problems trying to understand Emma’s reasonings to deem Jake as a manipulative control freak, but as the book progressed, her trauma and trust issues became more clear. I could say everything went better after Emma’s incident. After that incident, Emma truly got a wake-up call. I didn’t like how quickly she dismissed the summer camp idea, but it was left open-ended and she did say she wants to turn her dream into reality when she can affords to do it in the future. I loved how supportive and obsessed Jake was throughout the book. The proposal could have been more romantic, but it was fitting for them. I absolutely adored how Charlie and Faith actually turned out to be Emma’s blood relatives, and how they were already acting like family before Emma knew the truth.

Shortly after the death of her mother, Emma returns to the same inn in Vermont they had visited together at Christmas for as long as she can remember. Reeling from the personal loss as well as the financial complications that it led to, she hopes to find the same peace and joy this Christmas she has always felt. Her grasp on positivity becomes precarious when she realizes her childhood sweetheart (who ultimately caused young adult heartbreak) is also a guest at the inn.

Meanwhile, Jake is delighted to discover that the girl he let get away (or rather drove away) is back in his life. He intends to make the most of this opportunity to right an old wrong and show Emma that they are meant to be together.

My thoughts: The setting of the book was easy to picture and appreciate. I enjoyed imagining the inn and the lovely decorations described in various parts of the book. Most of the characters were believable and fleshed out appropriately for their place in the cast of the book. There were animals, which is always a plus. I liked the main characters and understood what they saw in each other. The sex scenes went beyond the “fade to black” realm, but were not overly descriptive. When I finished the book I was content with the time I spent on it (which, let’s face it, is not always the case).

With that said, the book really needed some editing to sand off the rough edges. A couple of minor characters change first names mere pages apart and there are some continuity issues regarding the timing of the divorce of Emma’s parents. There are other continuity issues where a person indicates that they are in close proximity to a person, but suddenly they are just walking up to each other or can barely make out the other’s expression. There are a number of the typical mistakes where the wrong word was used but was spelled correctly (the bane of everyone’s existence when writing, be it a text or a novel). An example is where a character asks if someone will regain “conscientiousness”. My copy of the book on the Kindle app is full of copy editing annotations like I would give a friend that asked for help with a paper.

None of these issues should stop you from picking up this book if you are looking for a comfy, light romance novel to read around the holidays and these sorts of editing mistakes don’t trouble you. But, if you are someone who twitches every time you see a typo and/or the mere idea of a continuity error makes you break out into metaphorical hives, then give this one a pass.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

A quick cosy second chance romance story set around the Christmas season. Perfect for a wet and wintry afternoon by a roaring fire.

I must confess, I was so enthusiastic after reading the blurb but once I started reading the book nothing really sparked inside me. It was an ok read but I found that both characters lacked of empathy. Both had been a couple in the past but they had an abrupt breakup. So I was expecting sparks and passion all over the place. Nothing at all! They met after 9 years of silence and it was like there had been no water under the bridge. I’m giving a 3 star review because all in all it is one of those stories one can read easily without any strain.

Lovely Christmas romance. Wonderful characters, uplifting, happy ending. Emma hasn't seen Jake since they broke up ten years ago. She finds that she still has feelings for him.

A perfect Christmas romance. Sweet, entertaining and has a good plot. The story of Emma and Jake, about new beginnings, keeping the faith and finding miracles.

Just such an uplifting read. It was cute without being saccharine sweet and Emma and Jake are such an appealing couple. Both are flawed, both make mistakes and we all have had a good row like they have! Full of misunderstandings, but also beautiful art and horses. A great Christmas pick me up.

It took me about a quarter of a way through the book to get into it. The startup is a little slow, but I kept reading! I’m glad I did. I love a good romance and that’s just what I got. The family tragedy and heartbreak and life mishaps along the way turns into a lovely second chance love story. There is even a family twist that I didn’t see coming, but is a precious surprise! This is definitely a good read and I will be reading more from this author.

This was a lovely gorgeous Christmas book. Very enjoyable and very readable.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Bride has a cute plot but there were many errors and contradictions. At one point, the main character Emma is talking about how her parents got divorced when she was 10 (later she talks about turning 10 two months after her parents divorce) and how after her dad left, he wanted nothing to do with her and was a complete deadbeat. Later that same chapter, she was talking to the male protagonist Jake about old times and they were saying how her dad always hated Jake and tried to scare them off when they were 15. How? He wasn’t around to do that, right? I don’t know, I tried to re-read the chapter to see if I missed something or confused the characters but I found it wasn’t worth it. Too many inaccuracies for me to care to continue!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

This a lovely winter romantic story.

It has a real feel good factor for this time of the year.

A really easy read, with great characters to give you a smile.

A charming little romantic novel, which perfectly contrasts my general heavier reading. Nothing special, but it’s characters were all quite dream-like. Broken hearted at the loss of her mother, Emma returns to Haley where she had spent many happy holidays as a growing child. Her childhood sweetheart arrives and slowly they dispel the reasons why they originally went their own separate paths. Love is in the air, with a couple of hiccups and surprise revelations … until they all live happily ever after!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Books Go Social, for the opportunity to read this novel

I think I held my breath through the whole book. I had go keep reading although I wanted to stop myself! Awesome and unforgettable and heartwarming contemporary romance.